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University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
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Assessing Plant-Wax Markers As A Tool To Estimate Intake And Diet Composition In Beef Cattle, Emily J. Hilburger
Assessing Plant-Wax Markers As A Tool To Estimate Intake And Diet Composition In Beef Cattle, Emily J. Hilburger
Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Estimating feed efficiency of ruminants in grazing environments is difficult due to challenges in measuring intake and diet composition of animals that are freely grazing. Plant-wax markers, especially n-alkanes (ALK), have been shown to be a potential tool to calculate intake and diet composition.
Two indoor experiments were conducted in successive years to assess ALK reliability to facilely estimate DMI (EDMI) and diet composition. Heifers were fed a ration of 69.8% corn silage and 30% ground alfalfa with a daily supplement containing a ALK marker (C32). Using a pooled fecal sample increased the …